Beauty and the Beast
by Song Of Hope
Summary: Title speaks for itself. R
1. The Curse

**Song Of Hope: Okay, whenever I go into writing in a new show, the story starts out kinda crappy, but then it usually gets really good. Fair warning. Also, I know there are about a ton of different Beauty and the Beast stories for InuYasha, but one more won't hurt. My stories usually have OC's in them, but I don't think that will be necessary this time. Read & Review, which is also known as R&R to some people.**

There once was a grand palace. It belonged to a handsome prince, but also a very selfish one. He had many servants and maids who cared about him, but his heart remained bitter and cold.

It was on quite a normal day when this prince's life was changed forever. His name was InuYasha.

One day, there was a great storm, and three raps were heard on the door.

"I'll get it." A maid named Sango quickly went to the door. She opened it and saw a poor old woman, soaking wet. She was holding a basket.

"My goodness! Would you please come in? You must be completely soaked." She smiled at her. She had an eye patch on her left eye.

"I thank ye good child. What be your name?"

"Oh, my name is Sango. And yours?"

"I be Kaede. Is there a fire here I could warm myself?"

"Yes, but the prince, Prince InuYasha, will be in there, and he doesn't take kindly to-"

"Sango, who is that?" She sighed.

"Speak of the devil, or should I say demon, since he's not that bad." She turned to him. He has dress in a royal red tunic, with red trousers. He had black hair and brown eyes. "This, sire, is Kaede. She is a poor old woman, who was caught in the storm."

"I thank ye greatly for ye's hospitality. If it wasn't for-"

"What hospitality? Get the hell out, you ugly old hag!"

"Please, don't turn me out." She pulled out a single red rose. It wasn't in full bloom yet, but it was still quite beautiful. "I'll give ye this, if ye only let me stay."

"Why should I? You're ugly, old, and a hag, and I don't want your ugliness gunking up my beautiful palace."

"Beauty truly lies within ye, in ye's heart, not in ye's appearance. This beautiful rose, though it may seem beautiful, it's thorns will prick ye's finger unless you care for it, and a heart is just like that." He just sneered at the rose.

"Who cares you old hag? Get out!" Suddenly, the old hag was enveloped in a bright light. Now, she was a beautiful young woman.

"You judge only by your eyes, show no compassion or love, and selfishness is your guide Prince InuYasha. Now, you shall be judged." He gasped.

"Wait a minute, I've seen you before, in a book of some sort. But it was only a book of fairytales. You're-"

"I am the enchantress Kikyo, the Judge of Purity, and you, Prince InuYasha, are impure. You have black in your heart, with no trace of white. You have the heart of a demon, and as you act, that is what you shall become!" He got down on the ground.

"Please, no!"

"Not only that, but all the others in the castle will be punished too. I pity them, especially Sango, the one who showed me kindness, but you must learn that your actions can hurt those around you, whether good, bad, innocent, guilty, people are affected by other's actions, not matter how small of an action. And your actions have put a curse on this whole castle, and all who live in it." Her eyes glowed and her hair went all over the place as she started chanting a magic spell. As she spoke, the inhabitants of the castle all screamed in pain as they transformed into their new bodies.

_"Neither one, nor the other  
__You shall now be another  
__A half demon, a hanyou  
__This is what my spell shall do_

_Until a love that is complete and given truly  
__From this castle none here shall ever leave  
For five-hundred years you shall wait  
Once they are gone you have sealed your fate._

_Servants here no longer whole  
This is the tale that shall be told  
Frozen in time you shall stay  
Until true love saves the day._

_But love must not know this thing  
Never knowing what her love will bring.  
__For it to be true, she mustn't know  
So it would be that she loves you so.__"_

When she was done, they had all taken new forms.

But InuYasha's was the most hideous one.

He had golden eyes, claw like fingernails, white hair, and triangular dog ears. He had become a dog demon, or so they thought.

"Your servants have all become changed. Your palace has become disfigured and marred. You, Prince InuYasha, have become a half demon." He looked up at her.

"A half demon? Why just half?"

"A demon is accepted among demons, a human is accepted among humans, but a half demon is neither one nor the other. You now have no place in the world. You are condemned to stay in this castle for all of eternity."

"Is there any way this monstrous curse can be undone?"

"Only one way. You must find a woman's love. She cannot be from this castle, for they are no longer completely human. She must also not know how to break the curse, for if she does, then she might love you only out of pity, instead of real love." She levitated the rose. "This rose is no ordinary rose. It is an enchanted one. It will reach full bloom very slowly, and after that, the petals will slowly fall off. If you cannot find anyone to love you before the last petal falls off of the rose, then you will stay like this forever." She left the palace, and instantly, the storm cleared up.

Then, the prince fell into despair, for who could ever love him, a half demon, a beast?

**Song Of Hope: I will update again once I get at least 5 reviews.**


	2. The Miko

**Song Of Hope: Here's chapter 2.**

In a small village, there was young woman, with black hair and brown eyes. She wore a Shinto priestess's kimono, holding a basket, a quiver of arrows, and a bow, and was heading into town. She walked over to the baker's stall. The baker smiled at her.

"Morning Kagome. Why are you here so early?" She sighed.

"Our cat snuck into the bread and ate it all." She pulled some herbs out of her basket. "May I please have some rolls and a loaf of bread, in exchange for these herbs?" He smiled.

"No problem. As a matter of fact, I made some this morning." He handed her what she asked for. She smiled and exchanged the herbs for the bread.

"Thank you sir." She walked off, when a certain wolf demon blocked her path.

"Hey there Kagome." She sighed.

"Hello Koga." Koga, the wolf demon that used to terrorize their village, had walked in. He stopped terrorizing it when Kagome and her grandfather had come to town.

"So, Kagome, what brings you here?"

"Bread. Now leave me alone. I've got better things to think about than you. I'm about to head to the miko's place." He sighed.

"That woman and her daughter will plant ideas in your head, and then you'll start thinking."

"You are so sexist Koga."

"Why thank you."

"You don't think much, do you?"

"You think about too many things. You should try to focus on me."

"What's there to think about? You're not much."

"I am the leader of the wolf demon tribe, and I have what I want."

"I'm not gonna be your '_mate_' even if it costs me my life." She then got her bow, and pulled an arrow out of her quiver. "Now leave me alone, or I'll gladly use my powers to rid this world of you." He laughed.

"Feisty little miko, aren't you? Very well, but I will be back. Just remember, I'll always come when you call, or if you're in danger." Tornados formed around his feet and he went off. She sighed.

"There are other wolf demons out there, why must he go for me? I'm just a human, and a miko at that, and mikos and demons are as different as night and day." She walked along the path until she found the hut she was looking for. She knocked on the door. An old woman with a patch over her left eye, also wearing a priestess's/miko's clothing opened it.

"Ah, child, ye be visiting me again today?" She nodded.

"Yes. May I come in please?" She nodded. Kagome walked in. She looked around.

"Where's your daughter?"

"Oh, she's just getting some herbs." The door opened again.

"I've collected the herbs." They both smiled at her.

"I thank ye child." The girl, also wearing a miko's uniform, with her hair loosely tied back with a wide white ribbon, with a quiver of arrows and a bow, was slightly surprised to see Kagome.

"Kagome, why are you here so early?"

"I decided to stop in for a visit. Is that a problem at all? If so, I can just come back later." She shook her head.

"No, today is just fine. In fact, I have something I must show you. Come, let us go outside." They both went outside. "Listen closely, and try to use your spiritual powers." Kagome nodded. She kept quiet and tried to use her powers, when she felt something.

"What was that?"

"That is the power of the demonic aura, going to a nearby village. It's a powerful one, and I must go to fight it. My mother and I will soon be leaving." Kagome was in shock.

"What, why?"

"That village has no miko to defend it. I would go by myself, but I need my mother with me. Once we leave, you will have to take over our positions."

"But I've barely started training as one!"

"I know that Kagome, but I wish for you to do it."

"I'll only agree on one condition."

"And what is that condition that you present?"

"You let me go with you."

"Three mikos? This village needs you, and I have to go with my other."

"I didn't mean I was going to stay. I meant for the trip. If we all go, then it's less likely that we'll be attacked. One miko is not as much, two are dangerous, but three mikos are not to be messed with. Please?" She smiled.

"Alright. I'm sure my mother and I will enjoy your company."

"Thanks Kikyo."

**Song Of Hope: Mwa ha ha! Evil cliffhanger! Five more reviews will get you the next chapter!**


	3. The Departure

**Song Of Hope: Ha, ha. I snuck Kaede and Kikyo into that last chapter without mentioning their names except for once. R&R.**

"But, are you sure you want to do this Kagome? It will be dangerous. Your grandfather and your mother will need you, especially after what happened to your little brother around this time two years ago. I don't think they could survive another loss." Kagome shed a tear at the thought. Her brother had gone on a trip in the forest to cut some wood and had never returned. Some said a demon had him for his lunch, while others say he got lost and died of starvation.

"I'll do it. He was no miko, especially since he was a boy, but all three of us are. You and Kaede need me." Kikyo smiled.

"Very well then, but don't wander too far off from us. If you do, you might never return. Are you sure you're prepared for the risk?"

"I'm ready." Kikyo smiled and nodded.

"Go and inform your family. We will be leaving at noon, which isn't that long." Kagome nodded. She went off quickly to go to her family. Kikyo walked quickly back into the hut.

Kagome came into her home. Her mother was making some rice balls.

"Mom." Her mother looked up at her.

"Yes dear?"

"I'm going on a trip with Kikyo and Kaede. They're leaving for a nearby village with a miko. I'm not staying though." Her mother dropped the rice ball (which are actually triangular shaped, and 4kids has something against them) in her hand.

"What?"

"Don't worry. I will be with two of the most powerful mikos I know."

"They are the only mikos you know!"

"Mother! Please! I have to see them off, just to make sure they stay safe. Kaede's powers are faltering. If I don't go, they might be attacked by a hoard of demons! Please!"

"You remember what happened to your brother, right?"

"Don't worry, I have great enough spiritual powers, and even if I'm attacked by a human, my archery skills will cover that part. Also, if I get lost, I can use my ability to sense auras to find my way to a village. I have to make sure they return safely. I don't want what happened to Sota to happen to them." That hit her mother right where it hurt. She sighed and made the rice balls much quicker.

"Alright, but you'd better do it soon, or else. Once your grandpa gets back here, we won't let you leave if he finds out."

"We're leaving at noon."

"Then I can make a bento for you to have before you go. Do you have the bread?"

"Yes." She took it out of the basket and handed it to her mother. "Once I finish everything, you go and meet with Kikyo and Kaede. Right now, we just have rice and pickled vegetables. I can make some sandwiches real quick, but go and practice to sharpen your skills, and practice with your spiritual powers. I want every bit of reassurance I can find." She hugged her mother.

"Thank you!" Kagome went outside, and sat down on the grass cross-legged. She concentrated on the sensing demonic auras, but could only sense the ones coming to the nearby village, and the wolf demons, but she concentrated harder, and was shocked to sense a new kind of aura. She gasped. _"That's not demonic, but it's not human either! What is it? Is it a ghost? No, they have human auras, just very weak ones. Could it possibly be an animal's? No, that's not right. Maybe it's a kami's? No, it's a different kind of aura all together, but I can't tell where it's coming from."_

"Kagome!" She turned to see her mother holding up a bento. "I've got your lunch packed!" She ran up to her mother. Her mother handed her the bento, and then they hugged each other. "Be safe Kagome, and come back to me in one piece."

"I will." They let go of each other.

"Now go, the sun has almost reached its peak. By the time it does, you should be able to go without your grandpa finding out until it's too late." She nodded.

"Bye mom." She ran off to Kaede's hut. Her mother sighed.

"She's growing up so much. Please let Kami-sama bring you home safely."

Kagome quickly got to Kaede's hut. Kikyo and Kaede were on horses. There was one horse left.

"Kaede! Kikyo!" They turned to her.

"Kagome, so you made it." She nodded.

"Yeah." She got on the third horse. "So, how far is the village?"

"A days travel. You can be home by tomorrow afternoon, or maybe the morning after." She nodded.

"Well, let's not lose any daylight." They nodded. They flicked the reins on the horses, and they were off to the next village.

Little did they know how life changing this would be.

**Song Of Hope: I kind of was going to make this story more like the Disney version, but after reading other versions in the InuYasha adaptation, decided against it, and threw in multiple twists of my own, just to make it more InuYasha, although the whole having Kikyo and Kagome friends things is hard to believe, but this is Kikyo without having Naraku disguised as InuYasha kill Kikyo, making her bitter.**


	4. The Half-Demon

**Song Of Hope: Okay, I've decided to forsake the whole five reviews per a chapter thing, mostly because no one has review since I uploaded the last chapter. Did it really suck that bad?**

As the three mikos went into the forest, Kikyo started feeling something strange.

"There's something familiar about this forest" Kaede nodded.

"Aye, ye be right child. It is strange, but very familiar. I cannot recall what it be." Kagome looked confused.

"What's there to forget? We go in this forest everyday to collect herbs together that can't be cultivated in gardens." They both nodded.

"Perhaps you are right Kagome, but still, I sense something here." They kept going forward. Kagome's shoe on her left foot fell off. She got off her horse.

"Sorry, my shoe came off, I'll just-" She stopped in mid sentence. "No, it can't be!" Kikyo and Kaede got off their horses.

"Kagome, what be wrong child?" She picked up a small axe. It had the initials S.H. on it.

"This is my brother's axe! This is the one he came to the forest with when he came to cut some firewood!" She looked around and found some other prints. "There was a struggle! These are human prints! My brother might be alive after all!" She got back on her horse. She whipped the reins to get it moving quickly. "Come on girl! Go faster!" Kikyo and Kaede looked very concerned.

"Kagome! Wait!" They quickly got on their horses and chased after her. "Kagome! Stop! You don't know what demons could be living in here!"

"Listen to Kikyo child! Ye be endangering yourself!"

"I don't care! If there is even the slightest chance that my brother is alive, I'm gonna find him!" She kept racing her horse, following the tracks, until she came up to a large castle. It had ugly gargoyles all over it, and looked quite dilapidated. Kikyo got a look on her face.

"Kaede, I remember now!" She nodded.

"I do as well child."

"Kagome! Stop! It's too dangerous to go in!" Kagome ignored her and raced to the castle. She got off her horse and barged in the doors.

"Where is he?! Give me back my brother!" She ran inside. Kikyo sighed.

"Now, we cannot help her. She'll have to face InuYasha, and I can't protect her at all. Enchantresses cannot tread on ground they have cursed."

"What has she gotten herself into?"

Kagome was running around the castle.

"Sota! SOTA!" She kept running, but saw a woman in a pink kimono, and stopped before she ran into her. The woman was very shocked.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm looking for my brother." She starred running around, shouting his name. "Sota! SOTA!" The expression on her face changed, and she realized it wasn't who she thought it was.

"Sota? I know where he is, but I'm afraid I can't take you to him." Kagome grabbed her by her kimono.

"Tell me where my big brother is! I'm not leaving without him!" She sighed.

"He's in the dungeons. Follow me." Kagome let go of the woman's kimono and started following her.

"Why is my brother locked up in the dungeons?" They started walking down a staircase.

"He trespassed in the forest."

"He was collecting firewood for his family!" They came to the bottom of a staircase, to a room filled with prison cells. A young boy's voice was heard.

"Sis?" There was a lot of coughing after he stopped speaking.

"SOTA!" She ran over to his cell. The woman quickly ran up the stairs, as to not get in trouble. "Sota! Are you okay?" He started coughing even more.

"Sis, get out of here, I've been kept prisoner, and the same will happen to you."

"What are you doing here?!" A sharp, rasp voice called out behind them. Kagome turned to see a silhouette with dog-ears. "You! Haven't you made us suffer enough?! No, Enchantresses can't step on ground they've cursed unless the curse is broken. Just who the hell are you?!"

"My name is Kagome. I am a miko from a nearby village. I found my brother's axe. Please, let him out, he's sick, can't you tell?"

"No, he was trespassing in my forest. He'll never leave."

"Take me instead! Please!" He looked like he was about to say 'you're gonna stay here too' but he stopped.

"You would do that for him?" She looked at him suspiciously.

"Come into a place where I can see your face." He stepped into the light. She saw his face. When she saw his ears, she couldn't resist. "Aw! They're so cute!" She started touching them, and he smacked her hands away.

"There's no way in hell I'm letting the quiet one go in exchange for you!" She stopped.

"No, please! I'll do anything, anything! Just let him go, where he can get some medical care, and I'll stay here, and be your prisoner, until the day I die." She looked solemn, but also very serious, and he knew she was good on her promise.

"Alright, fine." She looked at her brother and started talking to him quietly.

"Kaede and Kikyo are still outside, just ask them to take you home. Go right to Mom and Grandpa, then explain what happened, but lie to them, tell them I found you here, and they were trying to take care of you but didn't know how. You kept getting scrawnier from your sickness, but they did not imprison you. If they found out it's the truth, then they will come and attack this place to get me back. Tell them I wanted to stay." The man with the dog-ears threw open the doors and picked Sota up by the scruff of his kimono and threw him outside, not noticing Kikyo and Kaede waiting patiently outside, mostly due to the fact that they used their auras to hide themselves from him. As soon as he closed the door, they stopped. Kikyo got off her horse.

"Sota!" He collapsed, crying on her shoulder.

"Kagome sacrificed herself to save me."

"I'm sorry, this is my fault."

"The fault be mine as well child." He looked up at them, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Get on the horse. We'll explain it once we get you back to the village, and don't be angry with us, please, if we had known this would happen, we would have never done it. But I refuse to explain until you are safe at home where you can get care for your sickness." He nodded. He they got on their horses and left the castle.

Kagome was crying on the dungeon floor.

"I'm never gonna see him again. I'll never see my mother, or my grandfather again." InuYasha snapped.

"Quit your whining! Now follow me!" He started walking away. Kagome looked at him.

"But, I thought-"

"Do you want to stay in a dank dungeon?"

"Well, no-"

"Then come on, or I'll leave you here!" He started walking away. She quickly got up and followed him.

"So, who are you exactly?"

"I'm InuYasha. I'm a half demon."

"I kind of figured that part out already. Although I thought that you were a full fledged demon."

"And I thought mikos exterminated demons on the spot." She shook her head.

"No, we don't do that. You see, I've learned that not all demons are evil. Some are just plain annoying, but some actually prefer to help people."

"Well, I've never really met a miko, only heard of them." She was shocked.

"But they've been around here-"

"I've been here longer."

"How could that be?"

"It's none of your business. Now, you can walk around the palace, but do not come into my chambers. If you do, I will kill you." He stopped. "This will be your room. Call on the maids if you need them, not just want something done that you don't want to do, but if there's something that you are incapable of doing yourself. But first, hand over your weapons." She looked at her bow and arrows.

"But-"

"It isn't a request! It's a demand. Once I can judge they won't actually hurt anyone in this castle, you can have them back." He walked away. "Dinner will be soon, and if you don't come down and eat, I'll burn these." Before she could shout at him, he left. She collapsed on the bed, crying.

A monk came up to InuYasha, in purple robes. He had a slap mark on his face.

"InuYasha, what's going on? Sango just told me that a girl is in the castle."

"And then you touched her ass again and she slapped you."

"Quite correct. Now tell me, is this true?" He nodded.

"Yeah, a miko who traded places with her damn brother. At first, I thought she was that Enchantress Kikyo, but enchantresses can't trend on ground they've cursed."

"You do realize what this means, right?"

"Miroku, I highly doubt what you're thinking is true, unless of course you are talking about asking her to bear your children, in that case you'll get slapped again."

"No, once this curse is broken, I can ask any woman I want to do that."

"Point is, there's no way what you're intending is true. She's a _miko_, she _kills_ demons."

"Ah, but you are a half demon, and a half demon by a curse, so technically you are really a human."

"Keh, whatever. Just make sure that dinner is made."

Kagome was still crying on her bed, when she heard knocks on the door.

"Whose there?"

"Don't worry, it's not InuYasha, we're the maids. May we come in?"

"I guess so." Five girls walked in. One of them was the maid from earlier, three wore the same kimonos, with white tops and green bottoms, and the last one wore clothes made from animal fur.

"Sorry about earlier. My name is Sango." One girl with brown eyes and shoulder length wavy black hair came up.

"I'm Ayumi." One with neck length brown hair, kept back by a yellow headband came up.

"My name is Eri." The next had neck length black hair.

"I'm Yuka." The last one walked up, with red hair in pigtails and green eyes, came up to her.

"And I'm Ayame." Kagome could sense that she wasn't human, then recognized the type of aura.

"You're a wolf demon!" She nodded.

"My parents had been killed, and a maid who lived here, who has since passed, found me and brought me up here. I've worked here as a maid ever since." She nodded.

"That makes sense. Are you the only people here?" Sango shook her head.

"No. There's also the lecherous monk Miroku, the spiritual advisor, Shippo, the kitsune, Kohaku, my little brother, Kirara, the demon cat, and Myoga, the demon flea. Myoga is InuYasha's advisor, who used to advise his father, Kirara, my faithful pet demon cat, Shippo, whose father was killed and we took him in, and Kohaku is just my little brother."

"Okay, so, there are four demons here, five humans, and a half demon? This is really weird."

"You'll get used to it."

"So, why are you all in here?"

"Well, we just wanted to see if Sango was telling the truth." She nodded. "The only new person to ever come here is your brother. InuYasha only gave him pickled vegetables and rice, but we always snuck him some better stuff, since it wasn't his fault he didn't know that people weren't allowed in the forest."

"But me and two other mikos collect herbs here all the time."

"Well, that's mikos, who kill demons."

"We don't kill them, we purify them, and then they fade out of existence. I don't know why, especially since I know a few good demons."

"Well, regardless, InuYasha doesn't want to take the chance."

"Is there anything else I should know?" They all looked at each other, not wanting to say anything about the curse, but it didn't show. To Kagome, it looked like they were trying to think of something else. Finally, Sango shrugged her shoulders.

"Not really. Now, you should get ready for dinner, and if you don't, well, let's just say that you hope it's the new moon." Before she could ask why, they left the room.

"I just hope I can leave this place once and for all one day."

**Song Of Hope: That's the end of this chapter!**


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